Qatar International School believes that it is always unacceptable for a student to experience abuse of any kind and recognises its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all children and young people, by a commitment to practice which protects them.

We recognise that:

· the welfare of the student is paramount

· all children, regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse.

· working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.

Local Qatari laws also require the reporting of child abuse by professional caregivers. All professional staff members are bound by the following criminal code:

QATARI PENALTIES LAW (11/2004); Chapter 3; Article 189: ‘The penalty of imprisonment for a period not exceeding 3 years and a fine not exceeding 10,000 Riyal or one of the two penalties shall apply to any public officer assigned to investigate about crimes or identify them if he neglects to inform about the offence he knows about or postpones such information….’

Qatar operates an Abuse Hotline for students and families. Anyone may call 919 to access assistance operated by AMAN (which means “security” or “safety” in Arabic), formerly known as the Qatar Foundation for Child and Women Protection (QFCWP).

Aims

At QIS we aim:

· to provide protection for students who attend QIS in any form, and

· to provide staff and volunteers with guidance on procedures they should adopt in the event that they suspect a student may be experiencing, or be at risk of, harm.

This policy applies to all staff, including senior managers and the board of trustees, paid staff, volunteers and sessional workers, agency staff, students or anyone working on behalf of QIS.

We will seek to safeguard children and young people by:

· valuing them, listening to and respecting them

· adopting child protection guidelines through procedures and a code of conduct for staff and volunteers (Staff Code of Conduct is provided in Appendices)

· recruiting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made

· sharing information about child protection and good practice with children, parents, staff and volunteers

· sharing information about concerns with agencies who need to know, and involving parents and children appropriately, and

· providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support and training.